But it is interesting how much of Letters from Father Christmas does allude to current events, or speaks of the problems of the times. In his introduction to The Lord of the Rings, he resisted the suggestion that the War of the Ring was a thinly veiled representation of the allies’ struggle against Hitler. Naturally, this interpretation of the book raises the famous objection of Tolkien, that his stories were not allegories. Polar Bear has transformed into a reassuring figure of invulnerable strength a transformation appropriate to the needs of children frightened by the threat of real war. I have seen their arrows bouncing off him and breaking. During the dark days of World War II, when the Goblins are once again threatening Father Christmas’s realm, Polar Bear fights off the Goblins: Polar Bear is rather a hero (I hope he does not think so himself) … But of course he is a very MAGICAL animal really, and Goblins can’t do much to him, when he is awake and angry. Over the long years of writing the letters, Polar Bear takes on various guises and serves different purposes.
There is little doubt that Polar Bear is not just a source for stories, but is a relatable child, just as Father Christmas is a father.
Polar Bear is a constant source of entertainment, from his clumsy attempt to rescue Father Christmas’s hood, stuck on the north pole, only to have it snap and send him crashing through the roof of Father Christmas’s house, to foolish attempts to decorate a Christmas tree.
The stories Father Christmas tells Tolkien’s children are funny and magical. Women often seem marginal in Tolkien’s writing. A notable omission from this world is a Mrs Father Christmas. Tolkien fleshes out the world of the North Pole with other companions, Paksu and Valkotukka, Polar Bear’s cousins, as well as Ilbereth, Father Christmas’s elf, who later assumes some of the responsibilities for Father Christmas’s correspondence, as well as Father Christmas’s enemies, the Goblins, who attack Father Christmas’s residence, or burrow underground to steal presents. Through the agency of the letters, Tolkien’s children gained access to the magical world of the North Pole, where Father Christmas is helped by Polar Bear, a kind of child surrogate, who creates all sorts of trouble with his clumsiness and thoughtlessness, but who is otherwise charming and likeable. He transforms a charming but banal family tradition into his own family mythology. This is an entertaining and intriguing book. Letters from Father Christmas is a collection of letters Tolkien wrote to his children over a period of twenty-three years, assuming the identity of Father Christmas, from the time his eldest son, John, was only three years old, until the middle of World War II when his daughter, Priscilla, was evidently outgrowing the fantasy.
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